The Boulder Church

Book on chaos

Timsy — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:59:41 +0000

Author: Timsy

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:59 am

Hi friends,

Here's an online book about chaos, that looks really good: http://chaosbook.org/

Thanks,
Timsy

Discussion: What Prisons Do We Inhabit?

Louis.com — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:12:27 +0000

Author: Louis.com

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:12 am

We will meet at my house on Saturday, March 3. We will discuss the ways in which we are imprisoned by various restraints. While I have a short list in mind, I'd like to let the group pool their ideas, and then we can discuss as many as we think profitable. Hope to see you all there, then. Email me for directions to the house if you need them. Thanks, Louis

Discussion Topic - Saturday February 4, 2012

EvanA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:07:19 +0000

Author: EvanA

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:07 pm

We will discuss self-confidence, arrogance, humility, and self-deprecation tomorrow. We will discuss which one we think is the healthiest of the four, whether they conflict, and what each one means (some semantics, i.e.). See you all tomorrow.

Yahoo Group/Calendar

Chris Burkhardt — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:37:24 +0000

Author: Chris Burkhardt

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 12:37 pm

Timsy set up a yahoo group for us:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SemanticSaturdays/

We are specifically using the calendar:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SemanticSaturdays/cal

The idea is that if you want to present a topic for discussion then simply add it to the calendar on any available Saturday and we'll all show up to discuss it with you. You have to be logged into Yahoo to use the calendar, but you sign in using an existing Facebook or Google account if you already have one of those.

Discussing Psychology of Religion, and Animals and Religion?

Chris Burkhardt — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:21:14 +0000

Author: Chris Burkhardt

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 10:21 pm

Timsy wrote:

Hi friends,
I'd like to learn more about what the biological and cognitive prerequisites for religion are. For example, most religion requires symbolic thought. And based on that list of prerequisites, I'd like to reason about which animals are capable of religious thought, based on whether they possess the prerequisites. For example, chimpanzees are likely capable of symbolic thought, and sea sponges are likely not.

We began in this direction during the discussion last night. We should bring it up again. I think the difficult parts might be first defining things like "religious" and "symbolic" and then reliably detecting whether and when an animal is thinking religiously or symbolically. At the least we can probably find distinctions between the religion and thoughts of chimpanzees and those of sponges. Or at least try.

Jesus and Divinity

EvanA — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:31:38 +0000

Author: EvanA

Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:31 pm

From http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/Debunking_Christians/Page12.htm:

�What [the advocates of the Trilemma] are trying to prove, is this:
1. Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.
2. Jesus was neither a liar nor a lunatic.
3. Therefore, Jesus is Lord.

However, there are some HUGE problems with this.

1) First of all, these apologists do not successfully rule out the Liar or Lunatic choices. Their attempts to do so are based on shabby conjecture. One can say wise things and be honest, yet still be insane in some of their beliefs, for example. Also, just because someone is generally honest doesn�t mean that 100 percent of everything he said must be honest as well. It can even be argued that not everything Jesus said came to pass, since as mentioned in Argument # 3 he stated many times that he would return in the lifetimes of the First Century Christians, to rapture the end of the world, and he didn�t. Furthermore, the apologists do not rule out the possibility of Jesus being a great moral teacher either, since a) being crazy does not make one immoral, and b) you can lie and still preach great morals in principle (US Presidents and politicians have done that throughout history in fact).

2) Second, again there is no evidence or reason to believe that the Gospel accounts are historical facts. The term �Gospel� means �good news� and were written for an agenda. Therefore, we have no basis for assuming that what the New Testament claimed about Jesus� life and ministry ever even happened.

3) Third and most importantly, the Trilemma argument TOTALLY IGNORES a fourth and more likely explanation than the other three, which is that the Jesus of the Gospels is a legend. In fact, as mentioned earlier (in the Argument # 6 section), that fourth explanation is the official position of most secular unbiased historians and of the Jesus Seminar. But the Trilemma argument completely ignores it altogether! How convenient.�

On the Resurrection: http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/Debunking_Christians/Page11.htm

Gathering Place - 08 October 2011

Timsy — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 07:22:22 +0000

Author: Timsy

Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 7:22 am

We are meeting at the Duffy's house this evening at 6 PM. Bring some food to share if you'd like, and we will discuss the future of our group and engage in some exciting philosophical discourse.

Soup Kitchen

Tim — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:34:56 +0000

Author: Tim

Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:34 pm

I want to, but we are going to be out-of-town on the 30th. Another time?

Events precipitating African civil unrest

Chris Burkhardt — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 22:15:08 +0000

Author: Chris Burkhardt

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:15 pm

A few weeks ago I didn't know what events had precipitated the current revolts against the police states of Tunisia and Egypt and other Mediterranean regimes (I was only aware of and interested in the unrest *after* Egypt disconnected itself from the Internet). It seems there were two events which have triggered the current demonstrations.

The June 7, 2010, murder of 28-year-old Khaled Said by two Egyptian police detectives after they arrested him in an Alexandrian cybercafe. I'm still not sure why the police approached him in the first place. A photo of his dead body showing the severity of the beatings he endured was posted on the internet, which brought the case increased attention. After the uprising in Tunisia, the anger over Khaled's death was directed into the wider protest movement.

The Arabist (June 14, 2010): The Murder of Khaled Said
Facebook page: "We are all Khaled Said". A one paragraph summary of this group:

Quote:

Khaled Said, 28 years old, was tortured to death by 2 Egyptian Policemen in the street. The incident has woken up Egyptians to work against the systematic torture in Egypt and the 30 years running emergency law. We need international supporters to help us stand against Police brutality in Egypt.

The second event happened on December 17, 2010, when 26-year-old Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in a Tunisian town after being harassed by police. Bouazizi's only source of income was selling fruit from a cart, but he had no permit and couldn't or wouldn't comply with the police's extortion demands so they seized his wares and embarrassed him. He died in a hospital 18 days after burning himself. Two weeks later protesters had forced the Tunisian president to resign and flee the country.

Wikipedia article: Mohamed Bouazizi.
The Guardian: How a man setting himself on fire sparked an uprising in Tunisia

union of theology and science?

Tim — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 08:47:20 +0000

Author: Tim

Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 8:47 am

"I accept Reality and dare not question it,
Materialism first and last imbuing.
Hurrah for positive science! long live exact demonstration!
Fetch stonecrop mixt with cedar and branches of lilac,
This is the lexicographer, this the chemist, this made a grammer of the old cartouches,
These mariners put the ship through dangerous unknown seas,
This is the geologist, this works with the scalpel, and this is a mathematician.

Gentlemen, to you the first honors always!
Your facts are useful, and yet they are not my dwelling, I but enter by them to an area of my dwelling."

- Song of Myself, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, 1855

Merry Christmas

Tim — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 21:54:45 +0000

Author: Tim

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:54 pm

Here are links to the video's we watched at our Christmas Eve's Eve Service tonight:

Facebook/Gmail/Twitter Christmas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHNNPM7pJA&annotation_id=annotation_485296&feature=iv

Charlie Brown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA

Silent Night Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6ml_YbgJsQ

God sends his Immanuel Being...as a baby...

Matthew records that his name will be Immanuel (Hebrew), which is
translated in Greek: theos (the Supreme Divinity), meta (with), hēmōn
(our, we, us).

Merry Christmas to all,

How are we to love? What does that look like?

Tim — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 19:35:37 +0000

Author: Tim

Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 7:35 pm

In the last few weeks, we have had some important questions come up in our discussions from the book of 1 John. One was from Dennis, at our house in Lafayette. He asked, "What does John mean, that our commandment is to love one another? How does this apply in our lives today?" This is a question we've been discussing for years now on Sat nights, and I believe it is an important one for us. Perhaps more important than we could even imagine.

What came to mind recently, is a sentence Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:5, where he says "...the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." Good, clean motives. A simple, honest, and genuine love flowing from ourselves to others. This is critical. For John, this was absolutely necessary for anyone to connect with the Creator.

Amazing.

John even asked follow up self-tests you could do, to see if you were loving correctly: do you hate your brother? (emphasis on actions rather than emotions); do you love the world (that which is passing away) more than God and his children?; do you practice sin? (as in, is your life characterized by sin); etc. He says, �...whoever has the world's good and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.�

A simple, honest, and genuine love flowing from ourselves to others.

In our discussions we have explored such questions as �How can anyone really know God?� Perhaps this is a key.

Being able to embrace God's love for us, as in, completely surrender to that idea...can be terribly difficult for us. But, it may just allows us to see reality more accurately.

I think we need to come to face to face with the idea of God's love for us. How we respond to this idea...is important. And this response from each of us, is probably unique. And a Creator who created us unique, I believe would be anticipating...perhaps waiting...for our own unique responses.

Much of our life experience has to do with our perspective and attitude. Most great stories have to do with a transformation of viewpoint in a main character's life. Perhaps we need a good transformation of viewpoint concerning God's love for us.

I love you guys a ton. I pray and yes, at times, shed tears for all of you. And even if we don't agree about everything, I am always going to be on your side.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is in a great battle."

Love,
Tim

Lafayette Gathering Tonight

Tim — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 11:55:37 +0000

Author: Tim

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:55 am

We're going to be reading and discussing the Book of 1 John tonight. Remember, nothing is required, but to get more out of the conversation, you may find it beneficial to you to read the Book beforehand. Here is a link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+1&version=MSG

If you read it today, try to forget what your concept is of God, Jesus, a meaningful life, devil, or antichrist, etc. Instead, try your best to see how John would be perceiving these ideas. I believe this practice will help us all understand what the "big picture" message is in this letter.

Thanks! Very much looking forward to tonight!

I John

Louis.com — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:48:16 +0000

Author: Louis.com

Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 8:48 am

This quote introduces the short Wikipedia article on the letter from John--the article offers a quick introduction that you might enjoy:

The First Epistle of John, usually referred to simply as First John and often written 1 John, is a book of the New Testament. This fourth catholic or "general" epistle is attributed to John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the Gospel of John and the other two Epistles of John. This Epistle was written in Ephesus between the years 100-110. The work was written to counter the heresies that Jesus did not come "in the flesh," but only as a spirit. It also defined how Christians are to discern true teachers: by their ethics, their proclamation of Jesus in the flesh, and by their love.